"YOU CAN’S OPEN OR CLOSE THE "PAGE" OF MARCH 1"

25/armen-harutyunyan
25/12/09

Armenia’s Ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan today asked the Armenian
opposition and authorities not to label the events of March 1-2,
2008 as a "page."

"The opposition urges to open the "page" whereas the authorities
call for its closure. None of us can speak of opening or closing the
"page." I ask you not to be that primitive. Everyone should keep the
deadly events bright in their memory for us to understand that our
economic and political systems are flawed," said the Ombudsman.

Armen Harutyunyan is confident that if the initiated criminal cases
reach the European Court of Human Rights Armenia will fail in 90%
of suits.

Regarding the report of PACE monitoring committee co-rapporteurs John
Prescott and Georges Colombier on the events of March 1, the Armenian
Ombudsman said: "The report is largely in line with our assessment. It
covers all issues highlighted by the RA Ombudsman’s Office."

Recall that the co-rapporteurs held a one-sided assessment on the
report of the Armenian parliamentary interim commission looking into
the events of March 1.

"Our research showed that the right to fair legal procedure is not
guaranteed in Armenia, the rights to parity and property are not
secured properly. The country’s juridical system is far from being
flawless. Armenia lacks free and independent courts" Armen Harutyunyan
told journalists today.

To improve the Armenian juridical system the Ombudsman called for
improvement of the republic’s legal system and guarantees for the
right to freedom of speech and fair legal proceedings.

Armen Harutyunyan stated that the Ombudsman’s Office follows
Pashinyan’s trial but avoided giving any opinion unless the trial is
completed. "Otherwise, it will be viewed as a pressure on the court,"
he added.